Ryan said Republicans are hoping to preserve the principles of free enterprise and social mobility in America in this year's presidential election. He said he and Republican running mate Mitt Romney are providing voters with an affirmative agenda that will give them a mandate to enact specific policies when they get into office.

Ryan's visit came following a rocky start to the week for the Romney camp, which has been forced to respond to controversial remarks made by the former Massachusetts governor during an exclusive fundraising event in Florida earlier this year.

A secret video recording of the event was released on Monday. It captured Romney saying that close to half the populace — 47 percent — is comprised of people who believe they are "victims," and thereby entitled to government relief.

The episode has already given birth to a new thread of political discussion about the facts underlying Romney's assertion and the ideological differences between Democrats and Republicans in the area of public assistance.

Ryan avoided making a direct reference to the video in Dover Tuesday, but he did engage with the themes in Romney's so-called "47 percent" remark.

Ryan said he and Romney believe in the necessity of social welfare programs, but they also hope to address the root causes of poverty. The success of safety net programs such as food assistance should be measured by how many people are transitioned off the recipient rolls, he said.

"We don't want a safety net that encourages more dependency because there's no economic growth behind it," Ryan said, "because what that ends of up doing is it drains people of their will ¿ to get on the path to prosperity."

Ryan's Dover event marked his third trip to New Hampshire since joining the GOP ticket. He made his first campaign appearances in the Granite State in Manchester, shortly after being announced as GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's choice for vice president.

Ryan is the latest in a string of figures in the presidential race to visit the area, hoping to swing the outcome of the fall election.

Recent polling shows a tight race between Obama and Romney in New Hampshire, with the number of undecided voters on the state on the rise.

Ryan's visit Tuesday came less than 24 hours after a stop in New Hampshire by U.S. Sen. John McCain. On Monday, the Arizona Republican and former presidential nominee also held a town hall-style event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 168, located at 238 Deer St. in Portsmouth.

"When Mitt asked me to join him in this quest, to join him on the ticket, he said a few things," Ryan said in Dover. "He told me what he thinks, who he is, what makes him tick, what his values are, how we share each others' values, and he also said, 'You have the experience of being a reformer in Congress, of tackling the big challenges in America that confront our economy. That experience is something we need, because we need to get this thing under control.'"

Guinta, a freshman Republican congressman who represents the state's First District, is pitted in an election rematch this year against his Democratic opponent from 2010, former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. He was also at McCain's side during his Seacoast appearance this week.

Guinta said Romney and Ryan keep job creators in mind, and he lauded Ryan's background in economics and his willingness to address the country's long-term challenges.

"We get elected to lead," Guinta said. "We get elected to make tough decisions ¿ We know Mitt Romney. We know what's in his heart. We know the vision he has for America, and I think he made a great choice in choosing Paul Ryan."

In response to Ryan's trip to Dover on Tuesday, Obama for America spokesman Danny Kanner said in a written statement that Ryan and Romney "refuse to ask for a dime from the wealthiest Americans to reduce the deficit," and instead cut taxes for the rich by raising taxes on "veterans, students, seniors, and middle-class families — who Mitt Romney believes view themselves as 'victims,' entitled to handouts, and unwilling to take 'personal responsibility' for their lives."

With New Hampshire in focus in the presidential race this year, cities and towns across the state have been grappling with the problem of how to afford the extra expenses they incur when they play host to a campaign event.

President Barack Obama's recent campaign stops in Durham, Windham and Rochester have provoked debate in each community regarding whether taxpayers should foot the bill for hosting a campaign appearance by a sitting president. More recently, Portsmouth's City Council voted 5-4 to ask the Obama campaign for reimbursement of the public safety costs associated with hosting his recent speech at Strawbery Banke Museum.

On Tuesday evening, Dover City Manager Michael Joyal said the city intends to bill the Romney campaign for its expenses, in line with a standing policy on campaign functions.

The campaign will be charged a fee for rental of the McConnell Community Center, and for the services of two of six police officers who were on duty during the event, according to Dover Police Chief Anthony Colarusso.

Colarusso said the Police Department doesn't customarily bill for officers who are dispatched to assist with an event during the normal course of their duty, such as the four others who were on scene for Ryan's visit Tuesday.

"We didn't really have to use a lot of people," Colarusso said. "They'll only be billed for about ¿ 10 hours of overtime, and that will be at the detail rate, which is $62 per hour."

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